The present invention relates generally to furniture, cabinets, and tables with variable dimensions and, more particularly, to expandable surface areas for use in recreational vehicles.
A variety of tables, countertops, and work surfaces incorporated into furniture and cabinets are known. Many of these are expandable in dimension and/or orientation so as to increase the usable spaces or working areas. In some such items, dining room tables, for example, a “leaf” may be folded up or down on a hinge or added via one or more removable sections to accomplish this. However, folding leaves limit access to the area under the table, as for placement of legs and knees of those persons sitting about the table when the leaves are not in use. Removable sections typically require separate storage areas and are less readily implemented when expansion is needed due to their weight and size and the manipulation of the table to support them. Further, both of these methods of extension only permit the table to expand to pre-set dimensions, defined by the length of the leaf along the table length.
It is also known that the usable surface areas of table, cabinet, and furniture products can be made to vary in length according to need by sliding a surface area into and out of a housing. Such arrangements permit extension by variable lengths according to how far the sliding surface is pulled out. A simple example of this is a drawer which slides into and out of a cabinet and has a removable top surface or tray. Alternatively, cabinets have been formed with slide-out counter top extensions, as for example, in kitchen cabinets or desks. However, in general such extensions achieve that result by generally horizontal or merely planar motion of the relatively slidable components. Thus, the housing of the table or cabinet must have enough depth or width to contain within it the portion of the surface area that is to be retracted. At best then, such housings can be no smaller in depth than the retracted length of the surface area.
Unfortunately, this dimensional limitation can prevent those housings from being readily fit into certain confined areas. For example, if it is desired to have a table with a surface area that can be altered from 20 inches long to 50 inches long, then the housing can be no smaller than 30 inches wide (or deep, depending upon the orientation of the expandable surface being measured) in order to fully accommodate the 30 inches that is being slid into and out of it. If having a 30 inch wide housing is not convenient or permissible for a given facility at all times, then the expandable table cannot be used there.
Recreational vehicles (RVs), such as motor homes, typically have furniture within them, including tables and counters with work surfaces on them. Spacial availability within an RV, particularly floor space, can be limited compared to many homes or buildings. RV floor space dimensions are typically constrained to follow certain vehicular limitations in terms of drivability and road space, particularly road width. Also, RV dimensions and overall weight can be limited industry standards and/or by operator licensing and taxing requirements of state and local governments. Thus, furniture and cabinet fixtures within an RV are subject to spacial confinements.
RVs can be made to include significant amounts of storage space, but not necessary adjacent or readily accessible to the floor space where furniture is being used. Storage areas are typically created within the RV interior, but more commonly, large storage areas are built in under or above the floor space or with primary access on the vehicle exterior.
Further, RVs typically have floor space enhancement devices, called “slide-outs,” installed at one or more locations within the vehicle on both motorized and towable products. Slide-outs are, in effect, typically open sided boxes which are movable between positions into and out of the RV body at the outer walls while maintaining a connection to the RV such that the interior floor space remains enclosed from the exterior weather. Slide-outs are, for example, supported by guide rails and moved by rack and pinion or chain drive motors (electric or hydraulic in nature) mounted on the underside or top of the movable box. Slide-outs can expand the effective floor space of the RV when they are moved outwardly of the RV body.
However, slide-outs are typically only usable when the RV is stopped, since driving along a road with the slide-out in an extended position would typically cause the RV to exceed the permitted vehicular width. Thus, slide-outs can be used to facilitate expandable furniture to a degree, since they can accommodate the larger spacial requirements of such products, but typically only when the vehicle is stopped so that the slide-out can be extended for use. Slide-outs can be, however, a relatively expensive addition to an RV and can add significantly to the overall RV weight, depending upon the construction of the slide-out and the drive mechanisms used. Extra weight can detrimentally affect the fuel economy of using an RV. Further, slide-outs typically need to be constructed with significant weather proofing arrangements to prevent, for example, rain leakage at the junctions of the slide-out walls and the RV walls. There is, with some slide-out constructions, a risk that these arrangements will fail, allowing weather damage to the interior of the RV and its contents. Accordingly, some RVs do not include slide-outs or limit the number of slide-outs placed within the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is a object of the present invention to provide improvements in expandable furniture, tables, cabinets, and the like which provide variations in usable surface area according to the users' need in a given instance. Other objects include the provision of expandable surface area arrangements which:                a. are inexpensive to manufacture and install,        b. can be accommodated into a variety of furniture and/or cabinet products,        c. are sufficiently sturdy and reliable for use in transportation systems, such as RVs, where there can be significant vibrational forces applied to such products over time,        d. are relatively light weight in construction, and        e. are convenient to implement and use for a variety of users.        
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an expandable surface area arrangement where the usable or working surface area is retractable into and out of a housing along a curvilinear path that includes both horizontal and vertical components and wherein weight compensating structure is provided to offset the impact of vertical movement of the surface area. The usable surface is formed from an array of adjacent panels connected by a backing web which allows them to lie flush together when the surface area is retracted for use and to separate as needed to follow the curvilinear path when retracted into the housing for storage. The extent of movement into and out of the housing is variable according to the amount of surface area required in a given instance. When implemented into a dining table, for example, vertical support legs for one end of the table can be attached to the end panel of the surface area which is first withdrawn from the housing. The panel are supported by telescopic guide rails which retract into and out of the housing coincident with the movement of the panels, but to which all of the panels are not fixed at all times. The housing can include an opening to allow debris to be removed from the panels even when retracted into the housing. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed drawings and description of preferred embodiments.